Non-Manic Monday

_Monday, October 1st_

The orange Beetle performed its almost daily move to pull into the Fallons’ driveway. With a shout of bye over her shoulder, Bridget hurried down the side porch to get inside the passenger seat of Cassie’s Book Bug. Now began the usual two to ten-minute wait for the perpetually late Tinsley. Reaching down, Bridget turned the radio’s knob to find a station more to her liking. Immediately, the redhead slapped her co-BFF’s hand before returning to the NPR news show.

“I was listening to that,” Cassie stated.

“Who cares about world events? I need some jams to get pumped for another crappy Monday,” Bridget responded, her hand hovering slowly toward the knob.

“This is why you always struggle in Mr. Grummitt’s class,” Cassandra noted. “Not everything revolves around cheerleading and Homecoming. Show some interest in the world around you. Maybe listen to the news more often or read a book.”

“Save the lessons for the future, Cass. You can push your books on my kids when I start having them in ten or fifteen years,” Bridget suggested, chuckling.

“It’s going to be far sooner based on how you live your life.”

“Hey! What does that mean?”

“You know what it means,” the bookworm replied.

“Brandy!” came the semi-muffled shout from inside the house.

Before Bridget could defend her lifestyle, Cassie asked about the voice’s owner.

"Did your mom switch shifts again?" the ginger queried, knowing Mrs. Fallon's shift schedule better than her daughter did.

“No, she’s taking–”

The front door slamming open distracted Bridget. She watched her little sister burst through the door, take the porch steps two at a time, and leap onto the walkway. Behind her, Pepper screamed her name again. Brandy waited until she reached the safety of the sidewalk before turning around to ask what her mother wanted.

“You forgot your lunch!” Pepper responded.

“Oh!” Brandy exclaimed, relieved she wasn’t in trouble. Retracing her steps, she didn’t need to climb the porch entirely as a shirtless young man opened the screen door to walk onto the porch. He smiled as he handed the grade school student a brown paper bag.

“Who is that?” Cassie asked, watching as Brandy gave a thanks before dashing off. Neither girl needed to be told that the little blonde was off to the Graffs to add her next member of the walking party.

“Yeah, so I was saying…” Bridget trailed off as she noticed the beefy young man look over and stop. Assuming he wanted a goodbye wave, the cheer captain complied with Cassie automatically doing the same out of politeness. Both girls watched him smile before slipping back inside the home.

Suddenly, Cassandra flinched as she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye. Shaking her head at the person leaning against her car door, she pushed it open and against Tinny.

“Watch it!” the petite brunette ordered, snapping out of her daze.

“Don’t crowd the door,” Cassie responded. Then, she leaned against the steering wheel while pulling her seat forward to allow her other best friend to get in the back.

“Who the fuck was that?” Tinny asked while halfway inside.

“As I was trying to explain, my mom took a few vacation days as her Etta Hundley came to visit for the week,” Bridget started to explain.

“Oh, how nice! Your mom deserves a break, and she rarely sees Mrs. Hundley,” Cassie interrupted to say. She knew how hectic and stressful her friend’s mom’s job as a surgical nurse could be.

“So who’s that?” Tinny re-asked.

“Aunt Ettie didn’t come alone. Clark came with her,” Bridget revealed.

“So that’s Clarkie’s friend?” the petite brunette questioned.

“Um, I don’t think so,” Cassie responded, putting the pieces together quicker than the backseat occupant.

“Nope. That’s Clarkie. He’s grown since we last saw him.”

“That’s fucking Clarkie? The whiny kid that followed you around like a puppy? Holy shit! How many steroids did he take?” Tinny questioned as Cassie hurriedly reversed the car out of the driveway.

“Tin!” Cassie admonished.

“What? How else did he get so fucking ripped? Did he find a magic sword like He-Man?” Noticing the ginger’s expression, Tinny shot back. “Oh, right, sorry. I forgot your little brother doesn’t watch cartoons like everyone else. Fucking weirdo.”

“Tinsley! Sandy is not a weirdo. He…just prefers live-action television.”

“Not the good stuff. I swear he acts forty-five, not fifteen,” Tinny commented.

“She does have a point,” Bridget remarked.

“So says the girl with a kid sister who’s planning her big heist,” Cassie shot back, causing Tinny to start giggling over Brandy. “Okay, you can finish, Bee.”

“I guess he works out a lot. I remember he just started to jog when we visited them in Blueview,” Bridget recalled, opting to ignore the bickering. “It must have progressed over the years.”

“I’d fucking say so.”

“Wait, why is Clark here? Doesn’t he have school?” Cassandra inquired, curious about his college schedule.

“That’s what you're wondering about?! Dude shows up looking like the cover of one of your romance novels, and you want to know his class list. Get your priorities straight, Cass!” Tinny criticized.

“Clark’s taking a gap year,” Bridget revealed, causing both her best friends to frown for different reasons. “I mean, I get it. He wants to save up some money and travel.”

“Highly concerning. Studies show that high school graduates who don’t immediately attend a university show regression once they finally enroll, if they ever do,” Cassie relayed.

“Who passes up on partying for freshman year? They basically give a free pass to fuck up your grades while you settle in,” Tinny pointed out.

“They do not! Don’t believe that nonsense, Tin! Wait, who told you that? Was it Gabby? Oh, I bet it was Gabriela,” Cassie speculated, reaching down to pull out her notebook while at the red light.

“I don’t think you need to jot that reminder down,” Bridget said, already dreading when her co-best friend would scold her big cheersister.

“Yeah, don’t worry about college right now! The single, most important question is where this stud is sleeping. Bee?” Tinny inquired.

“The basement. His mom is in Bev’s room until she comes home on Friday. After that, I don’t know where anyone is sleeping,” Bridget admitted.

“Ah, seriously? Bev’s coming home for the weekend? Damn, I thought we got rid of her until Thanksgiving,” Tinsley remarked.

---

“No, you are not to walk in on Clark while he’s changing,” Cassie told the hyper friend.

“I won’t make it obvious! He’s sleeping in the basement. I’d just need to creep down the stairs and claim I’m looking for a shirt that got mixed in with Bee’s,” Tinny argued. “Somebody needs to do recon work. Don’t give me that look! If he’s on ‘roids, we need to know if his dick shrunk yet.”

Bridget sighed as the trio walked up the long sidewalk to Honey Hollow High. While her friends bickered, she greeted as many people as possible. Wishing them a Happy Monday might feel repetitive, but she needed votes. A few kind words at the start of another dreary week of school might help.

“You can both come to dinner–”

“Tonight,” Tinny announced.

“This week,” Bridget finished. “Maybe tomorrow or Wednesday.”

“When did I start needing a reservation to eat at your house?” Tinny demanded to know.

“She has a point, Bee,” Cassie remarked, pretty sure that the brunette spent more time rummaging through the Fallons’ cupboards than Bridget.

Reaching the main doors, the trio found a black-haired girl waiting for them. Cassandra frowned while Tinsley waited expectantly. Only after Bridget motioned did her little cheersister speak.

“Monday morning gossip report, Captain Fallon,” the Babybee captain began. “First, Mr. Alcorn was spotted using the copier to print off pop quizzes for today’s math classes.”

“What? Ah, fuck!” Tinny shouted, clenching her fists.

“Try being less melodramatic for once, bitch,” Didi Bing yelled from where she sat near the flagpole with Gemma and Danika.

The petite brunette replied with a simple middle finger.

“Second,” Sabrina started, motioning in the Sugarbees’ direction. “Gemma has reportedly selected Brock Beal for her Homecoming date. Word is that Coy isn’t happy with his friend.”

“Boo-hoo!” Tinny sounded, mimicking drying her eyes.

While Cassandra told her friend to knock it off, Bridget supported the performance.

“What did Coy expect? Gemma is certainly the type to use one of his friends. That’s his fault for picking a family friend over a captain.”

“Finally, with Gemma off the board, the rumor mill has it that Rick Trask will make his move on you today,” Sabrina revealed.

“Ugh, Rick Trash is a male-slut in a sheep’s costume,” Tinny remarked.

“It’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and you, the girl going to Homecoming with Steve Gorman, have no right to bash Rick,” Cassie pointed out. “Rick is a serial dater, not a male slut.”

“I’m not saying Steve isn’t a womanizer. I just want a fun Homecoming dance,” Tinny argued.

“Great. Rick’s in my first hour,” Bridget noted, frowning at the potential scene.

“Heartbreak in Home Ec?” Sabrina suggested.

“Like Rick has a heart,” Tinny replied before bailing upon spotting Sally Stall walking over.

“Morning, girls,” the art teacher and cheer coach greeted. “Why’s Tinsley rushing off?”

“Pop math quiz,” Cassie supplied, lying for her friend. Unsure about the precise reason, she assumed her friend might be in trouble.

“Oh, isn’t a pop quiz supposed to be a surprise?” Miss Stall questioned.

“You’d think, but I guess you never throw them in art class, do you?” Cassie asked, seeking to confuse the teacher before saying goodbye. After looking at Bridget for permission, Sabrina departed with the redhead.

“I want to apologize again for being out of town this weekend,” Sally began, causing Bridget to brush off the absence.

“It’s totally understandable. How was the wedding?”

“Long. I didn’t realize people could have that lengthy of a list of vows. It’s probably not a good sign for the longevity of the marriage,” Stally commented, leading the teen to nod in agreement. ”But at least I wasn’t selected as a bridesmaid due to the distance. Gawd, those dresses were hideous.”

“Is your friend plain?” Bridget inquired. “I mean, sometimes the less attractive–”

“No, no, I got what you meant. No, she’s quite pretty but also vain,” Sally explained. “So, is everything going with this mysterious float change?”

“It’s finally taking shape. We had Monty Rusk stop both days to help assemble the frame. Rain insists the structural integrity is sound, and Posey has some–let’s call them unique–ideas about how to decorate the outside,” Bridget recounted.

“Wednesday is a quirky girl, isn’t she? Okay, if Rain says it’s safe, then I guess it has to be. She’s never wrong,” Sally admitted about the brainiac of the squad. “When can Topaz and I finally get a look?”

“Probably on Wednesday, maybe Thursday. We plan to hold two more practices on Tuesday and Thursday for the future cheerleaders,” Bridget revealed.

“Oh, right! That’s the change that I love. How are the younger girls doing? Any issues?”

“A few. Annie’s sister and her friends took a little while to warm up to Brandy knowing more than they do about our routines. But I think we’ve settled on a solid group. We’re splitting them into three different age brackets. Lisa and Maura’s sisters are in the older one while Brandy and Fiona are in the youngest,” Bridget listed.

“Awesome! It’s so cool to see the little sisters of current and past cheerleaders involved,” the cheer coach said, beaming. Then, she glanced at the clock and said her goodbye.

Bridget barely had enough time to put her bag in her locker and grab a few items before hurrying down the hall. Fortunately, she had Home Economics for her first class of the day. Mrs. Klunkhemmer usually had them watch films on food safety or provided demonstrations about specific meals or kitchen equipment. Rarely did she actually trust her rowdy students to cook for themselves. But when she did, Bridget had an ace up her sleeve.

Entering a small alcove, the buxom blonde peeked into the main room with a sigh. Two men she did not want to talk to today stood between her and her table. Grimacing, Bridget entered the classroom as most eyes turned in her direction. Immediately, a handsome, athletic senior with stylish blond hair detached from his clique. Those brown eyes that Bridget found distractingly beautiful showed concern.

“Bee, can we talk for a second?”

“It’s Bridget. Only my friends are allowed to call me Bee,” the blonde snapped in a far harsher tone than she planned.

A few oohs rang out in the room, causing the fortysomething-year-old teacher to glance up from her makeshift butcher block/podium. A frown formed before she resumed checking over her lesson plans.

“Damn, Quarry, you sure fumbled that hottie,” Hoyt Magruder commented from the basketball team’s table.

“The only fumbles you know, Hoyt, are dropping those dollar bills on the floor and not on the strippers at the Beehive,” Duke Hager cracked, coming to Coy’s defense.

“Please, give me a chance to explain,” Coy pleaded.

“You better practice begging, McCoy. This woman does take kindly to being publicly ambushed by a man with a little dick, who blames–”

“Language, Miss Fallon,” Mrs. Klunkhemmer admonished, never looking up from her book.

“Sorry!” the beautiful blonde apologized before returning to Coy. “Sorry. I meant a man with a missing manhood. The same one who cowers behind his parents as an excuse for his missing balls,” Bridget stated, walking around the stunned quarterback.

Walking over toward her table, Bridget spotted another handsome senior, this one with short brown hair, preparing to intercept her. Although curious about her school’s non-athlete heartthrob’s prowess in bed, the still upset cheer captain wasn’t in the mood to get hit on by Rick Trask. That’s especially so if it was part of some competition between Coy and Rick, as she expected.

“Mrs. Klunkhemmer, can I say something briefly?” Bridget asked after the bell stopped ringing.

“Very well. Keep it under thirty seconds, Miss Fallon. Also, watch the language. I don’t wish to have a repeat of Miss Day’s verbal manifesto from last year,” Mrs. Klunkhemmer warned, although the tiniest crack of a smile formed on the outer edge of her lips. When her friends and family often scoffed over the difficulty of her job, the teacher now had a story to tell about Tinsley’s tirade over a fellow classmate pinching her butt while checking inside an oven.

“Thank you. Okay, listen up. I know there is some interest in who’s going with who to Homecoming–”

“Some?! Try, we need a scoreboard to keep up with the gossip,” Keegan Randle cracked. However, the class clown quickly shut up after a warning from his teacher.

"Okay, there is a lot of interest because of someone's indecision. And while I understand that my counterpart picked an interesting replacement date, I will not be soliciting offers," Bridget commented, glancing over at where Coy scowled over the news that his close friend was now Gemma's date. "So guys, don't ask. I'm exercising some girl power. I'll be the one asking, not you. And anyone who asks is automatically crossed off the list. Thank you, Mrs. Klunkhemmer."

After she finished her announcement, Bridget sat at the table she shared with Paula Reedy, Janet Napier, and Bailey Thirlby. All the girls smiled at her for the strength it took to say what she said, and Bailey reached over to pat her arm.

“Way to nip that in the bud,” Paula complimented.

“Okay, this week we will attempt to make a simple, quick meal that many of you might find handy next year in college. I’m talking about English muffin pizzas,” Mrs. Klunkhemmer announced, causing some mild cheers and many groans.

Finding three pairs of eyes on her, Bailey couldn’t believe it.

“Seriously? This is an easy one. You girls can make them. I know my junior high Home Ec class did. So I bet yours did.”

“But you are the best chef in the room,” Janet noted.

“And I burn everything,” Bridget added.

“Paula, you work at a restaurant,” Bailey pointed out.

“I don’t cook anything. I just take orders and bring the food out. The hardest part is roller skating,” Paula said about her job at Grubby’s.

“I mean, all you do is slap some sauce, cheese, and toppings on before cooking it for ten minutes or so,” Bailey listed in exasperation.

“You see? You’re already ahead of all of us,” Bridget responded, smiling at their secret Home Ec weapon.

“Where are those cases?” Mrs. Klunkhemmer questioned aloud, checking several cabinets.

Holding up a finger, she entered the door at the back of the classroom, which led directly into the teacher's lounge. Only gone two minutes, she returned with a frown. Pointing at Rick and Coy, she ordered them to follow her.

“I seem to have left the sauce I bought in my trunk. Janet, you’re in charge until I get back,” Mrs. Klunkhemmer delegated her authority to her most behaved student.

Bridget smiled a thank you at her teacher. Although she figured Rick and Coy were selected to avoid any issues while the teacher left the classroom, it still helped the young blonde out. With their teacher gone, the noise level in the room rapidly increased.

“So, what’s the deal with your date from Saturday night?” Paula inquired. “He was…wow!”

Bridget laughed as Paula fanned her face. Bailey immediately asked who she’d gone out with before blanching at hearing it was a cousin of Sela’s.

“Doesn’t that make him one of your cousins, Bails?” Janet asked.

“Possibly. Who was it?”

“River Sandberry,” Bridget revealed the name.

“River?! Oh, I like him!” Bailey said, perking up as it wasn’t one of her many uppity distant relatives. “We vacation at their resort every other spring break.”

“Wait, that’s the branch that owns the resort in Hawaii?” Paula checked.

“Yeah. They don’t usually travel back here or meddle in the foundation like some of the other branches around the country. Still, it’s possible that Bridget met her match. The Sandberrys have reputations,” Bailey revealed shyly while blushing.

“What are you blabbing about, tattletale?” a new voice accused as Midge Milligan turned around from her seat at the table behind Bridget.

“Back off, Bumble Bitch. It’s none of your business,” Bridget replied, not in the mood to pull any punches with the obnoxious head Bumble Girl for the year.

“If it’s Wynwick business, then it’s Brixton’s business,” Midge declared, turning toward her tablemate.

“What?” Brixton Burnett questioned, having not paid attention to the conversation.

“Thirlby is talking about your family,” Midge divulged. “I doubt she has the right.”

“Are you an expert on their family tree?” Janet challenged.

“Aren’t you supposed to be keeping order?” Midge shot back, perturbed that she hadn’t been put in charge.

“It’s not a big deal, Brixton,” Bridget sighed. “Sela came into town and brought one of her cousins. Or one of yours, too. I can’t keep track.”

“Who was it?’ the dark-haired Sugarbee inquired.

“River Sandberry,” Bailey whispered excitedly. “Bridget went out with him on Saturday.”

“Oh! Wait, why was he all the way over here?” the girl from the often-forgotten Wynwick branch asked.

“He’s attending Zurbrugg.”

“He is? I didn’t know that!” Brixton squealed. She suspected her brother Boston would be furious over this slight. He often was when the extended family failed to include the Burnetts.

“Yeah, they came to Grubby’s. He’s very handsome,” Paula gushed, winking at Bridget. She wanted to help out her tablemate, who seemed to be having a rough morning.

"Wait, is that who Naomi and Felicity saw you with at Scoops?" Grey Doubleday chimed in. The second Sugarbee and third Bumble Girl at the table recalled the hushed conversations Sunday morning at dance practice over some incident that upset Gemma further.

"Yes, afterward, we went to Shanty Point for a bit," Bridget said, smirking.

She hadn't planned to disclose that part ever, but checking out of the corner of her eye, she'd noticed all the eavesdroppers. The ones that interested her came from the table with three football players. Without a doubt, she knew Duke, Wayne Parker, and Pernell Sweet would fill Coy in when he returned. So, causing a mini-spectacle might have its benefits.

“Shanty Point,” Midge repeated, her voice dripping with disgust. “Why am I not surprised you went there?”

“What was surprising was seeing you there, Milligan,” Bridget responded, causing gasps.

“I was certainly not there! A lady of class would never stoop so low,” the head Bumble Girl declared pompously.

“You weren’t?” Bridget questioned, acting surprised. Midge’s outrage confirmed her suspicion from Saturday night. “But, I could’ve sworn I saw Aston there. He was in their cook’s car.”

“What?!” Midge screeched, forgetting her manners.

“Oh, so you weren’t with him. Wow, sorry,” Bridget said, causing numerous smirks around the room about Midge and her Homecoming date. It was a semi-open secret that Aston tolerated Midge only to keep his parents happy.

The commotion died down when Coy and Rick walked in, each carrying a plastic-wrapped case of sauce. Several groans filled the room. They’d expected the pizza sauce that Coy had, but Rick held a case of Alfredo sauce, hinting at a future project. When Mrs. Klunkhemmer hurried in, class resumed. The delay meant they wouldn’t be cooking until tomorrow at the earliest.

After class, Bridget and Bailey left the room together. Outside, Shayla and Zita walked out of the door next door, with Zita holding a piece of Kleenex around her finger.

“What happened?” Bailey asked.

“The accidents that occurred when your Home Ec class turns out to be sewing, not cooking,” Shayla revealed. “You should go see Trixler to get a Band-Aid.”

“I’m not going to that Sugarbee for help,” Zita spat about the dance coach and school librarian. Without a school nurse at the moment, students were encouraged to visit the main office or the library as a replacement. “I have English with Topaz next. She has bandages in her drawer.”

“Bridget, please, can we talk,” Coy asked from behind.

“I told you no! I have nothing to say to you until after Homecoming. You don’t exist in my world until next Monday. Got that?”

“Come on. Be reasonable,” Coy pleaded.

“And if you don’t stop. I’ll sic my sister on you,” the cheer captain threatened.

“Beverly’s away at college. Wait, is she coming back this weekend?” Coy’s expression turned as he gulped in fear.

“I’m not talking about Bev.”

“Wait, your only other sister is a kid. Why would I be worried about her?” Coy questioned, flashing that smile that buxom blonde found adorable.

“Oh, I’d be far more worried about Brandy than Bev,” Shayla warned.

“Seriously? Isn’t she in grade school?” the confident quarterback noted, holding in a laugh that none of the girls did.

“Have you met Tinny?” Bridget asked, cackling. “Then, you experienced a lesser version of Brandy.”